Gone
by PlatinumOwl
Summary: Alex has been pushed too far and has retreated into a fog, but is it natural or is something else at work? Brecon Beacons is Mrs. Jones answer as the new head of MI6 and Jack has been sent away. Alex is alone, both mentally and physically. What now? (AN: Ratings may change. Depends on my mood. Do not read if looking for a happy Alex.)
1. Chapter 1

"Ms. Starbright, I will be frank. We're worried about Alex." Jack let out a bitter laugh.

"You're worried? _You? _The people who ruined his life are worried? Oh, this is one for the history books ladies and gentlemen. The destroyers are worried about the destroyed. Because that's what he is now. Destroyed. You _people _destroyed him and now you have the guts to tell me you're worried. He hasn't spoken in _months_ and only now you're concerned. He doesn't eat, he barely sleeps. And what do you do? YOU SEND HIM ON MORE GOD DAMNED MISSIONS. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT." Jack was crying now. _Alex, Alex I'm so sorry. So God damn sorry. For everything. _Ms. Jones observed the sobbing woman in front of her.

"If you're quite done, we have reason to believe he has become a liability. We are sending him to Brecon Beacons indefinitely. You will be sent back to America. Please be ready to leave in an hour's time." Jack froze. Looking up, she stared at the other woman in undisguised hatred and horror.

"You can't do that. I'm all he has left. You get rid of me and whatever is left of the boy will be gone. He will never move on. I'm all he has left. What more could you put him through? What did he do to deserve this?! He's saved the world _seven times. SEVEN TIMES. _AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM?! HE NEEDS ME. He needs me.." Jack's voice trailed off. Mrs. Jones looked at her coolly.

"An hours' time Ms. Starbright." Jack had been dismissed.

* * *

"..do you understand Alex? Alex? ALEX?!" Mrs. Jones called. Alex looked up.

"Yes." Mrs. Jones nodded. Ever since she had become the new head of MI6 whatever affection she had felt for the boy were crushed in favor of his usefulness.

"You will be going to Brecon Beacons in an hour so feel free to pack." Alex struggled through the detached feeling.

"What about Jack?" He managed to ask. Mrs. Jones paused.

"She left to America a few hours ago. Did she not tell you?" Alex thought back. He remembered seeing Jack sobbing, telling him something. Alex frowned. What had she been telling him? Something about Mrs. Jones. To be careful. An apology. It was foggy. Everything was foggy. Detached. That's what he was; he had been ever since the shooting at his school. Scorpia's latest attempt to kill him. All they had managed to do was kill a bunch of other kids and…Tom. Alex felt a sharp pain and had a startling moment of clarity before it was gone again. The fog was back, soothing him with its emptiness. _Feel nothing, think nothing, be nothing. _It seemed to whisper.

"…and I hope you understand that this is for your protection. Is that understood?" Alex nodded. Mrs. Jones forced a smile.

"Very well then. There is a car waiting outside to take you." Alex nodded again and started to leave.

"Alex?" Alex paused at the door way.

"I'm sorry about your friend. Tom, was it?" Alex felt his hand clench on the wood frame before it relaxed just as quickly. Not answering Alex just walked away.

* * *

"I don't want you here. I don't like you and if you so much as _sneeze_ without my 'go ahead' I will make your life a living hell. Is that understood?" Alex nodded.

"YOU WILL GIVE ME A VERBAL RESPONSE. THIS IS NOT A DAYCARE. I AM NOT YOUR NANNY. NOW, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Yes sir." Alex said dully. The Sergeant pulled back, apparently satisfied.

"K-Unit is unavailable because they're out in the fields right now fighting for this country unlike certain snot nosed brats. Due to this you will be assigned to S-Unit as their temporary fourth member. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Then why the hell are you still here?! Dismissed." Alex grabbed his bag and left. Walking towards the cabins, Alex felt a small shiver in his hands. He almost frowned. Almost. He didn't really make facial expressions anymore.

* * *

Absently he felt something close to a thought slip into his mind. More a sense than anything. Dread. After everything, he still felt dread at meeting an SAS unit. Guess that showed how much the previous one had affected him. But that was a different. Alex wasn't afraid of anything anymore. He didn't feel anything anymore. The closest he had gotten to emotion was the night Jack had left.

Something in him had twisted as he watched her pack her things, crying and apologizing to him the whole time. That and his dreams. All his emotions came back during his dreams. Happiness, pain, agony, fear, relief, all of them. That's why Alex rarely slept. He didn't want to feel. Arriving at S-Units barrack, Alex paused. The notion of knocking flickering through his head before he realized it didn't matter and entered.

Looking around, he saw no one. Something akin to relief surged before being covered in the ever constant fog. Going to what appeared to be the only bunk left open Alex put his things down next to it and sat. As though a flip had been switched, Alex suddenly felt exhausted. Barely managing to lift the rest of him onto the bed in time, he drifted into sleep.

* * *

"How is the subject responding?"

"Everything is functional. The progression or retrogression of the subjects emotional capabilities are going as predicted, however…"

"Yes?"

"There is a slight problem."

"What's the problem?"

"The tracker in the subjects chip shows that the subject has been moved."

"Where?"

"Wales. Or, more specifically, Brecon Beacons, the temporary training camp of the SAS."

"This could work. We have a sleeper cell in there correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Tell the agent to keep an eye on the boy and to continue administering the treatment."

"Sir, if I may ask a question?"

"You may."

"The risks of this operation are exponentially larger with the subject in the SAS camp. Wouldn't it be best to extract him?"

"Oh no. From what our spies have reported we can be assured that the physical and mental abuse will help the treatment along beautifully."

"…If I may ask one more question?"

"You just did, but I'll give you another one."

"What's so special about this subject? He's just a boy and I can't help but wonder why we are going through such…difficulties, to erase his emotions."

"Believe me, this boy is very special. Very special indeed. So special that this project is worth much more than you could possibly know. We must get this perfect. We must get Alex Rider."

* * *

"_Hey Alex, think you have time to hang out with your neglected bestie for a game of football after school?" Tom said fluttering his eye lashes at Alex. Alex laughed and punched Tom in the shoulder._

"_Don't do that, it's creepy."_

"_Ooo, have I made the great Alex Rider uncomfortable? There has to be an award for that." Alex aimed another punch, which Tom dodged._

"_Shaddup you twit. You know I'll kick your ass." Tom snorted._

"_Yeah, when pigs fly."_

"_Hey Alex!" Tom and Alex looked up. It was Jeffery Williams, the current football captain._

"_What Jeffery?" Alex said deadpanned. Tom held in a snicker. He knew Alex found the peppy boy annoying and enjoyed his best friends unease._

"_I was wondering if you wanted to play a game with us after school today?"_

"_Sorry, Alex is hanging out with me today." Tom cut in, before Alex could say anything._

"_Oh? Well then you can come too." Now it was Tom's turn to be annoyed. The boy just couldn't take a hint._

"_No, I think we'll be fine by ourselves." Tom stated. Alex snickered and Tom shot him a look._

"_Oh, alright then. If you change your minds, we'll be on the field till five." Jeffery said with a wave before running off._

"_What was that?" Alex asked._

"_You've been around for what two weeks now? That has to be a record. People are getting use to you again." Tom explained. "Anyway, you ready to get your ass handed to you." Alex smiled._

"_With your scrawny arms, yeah right." Tom huffed and faked a pout until Alex laughed._

"_Do you know how long you'll be around this time?" Tom asked. Alex sighed._

"_I don't know Tom. They use me whenever they want. The most warning I've gotten is two hours. Sorry." This time Tom punched him._

"_Dumbass, you shouldn't apologies. You aren't the one at fault here." Alex smiled again, though, Tom noticed, it was smaller than the previous ones. Tom was about to say something when Alex's head shot up._

"_EVERYBODY DOWN!"_

_Grabbing Tom, he pulled them both to the ground just in time to dodge a spray of bullets. Tom could hear screams erupt around them. Soon the bullets stopped and a group of men jumped in through the windows. Tom looked at Alex but Alex was already running to his desk where his bag was. To watched as Alex entered his "spy-mod" as Tom had once dubbed it. _

"_Everyone on the ground!" Someone shouted. Alex rolled his eyes, cliché much? Glancing at Tom to make sure he was alright he caught him rolling his eyes as well. Shooting Tom a quick smile he pulled out the gun he had hidden in a secret compartment of his bag and pressed a button on his watch three times. Alex saw Tom's eyes widen and his face pale. _

_Alex knew he'd have some explaining to do when this was all over. Raising his gun he began shooting the men down. Letting his training take over he brought down six before they realized there was someone firing. Ducking behind a desk he prepared himself for the worst. They exchanged shots for a few minutes as Alex tried to buy time for MI6 to show up._

_His watch had been a distress signal that would bring in enough back-up to take over a small country in about fifteen minutes. Until then, he was on his own. By the end of five minutes, Alex had taken down 17 of the original twenty four men. Seven more to go, he thought. Alex had gotten over his killing problems the day he killed eight men after an attack on Jack. Just thinking about it made him see red. He had sworn that day to do whatever it took to protect the people he loved, even if it meant becoming a killer. Firing another few shots he took down two more guys. _

"_Cease fire or we have hostages." Well, looks like someone has a brain after all. Sighing, Alex stopped firing._

"_Throw the gun away and stand up. Slowly." Alex obeyed._

"_I'm guessing you're from Scorpia, correct?" One of the men grinned. Alex decided he would be Ugly number one._

"_Damn right we are. You must be Alex Rider. Well, this is the end Mr. Rider. You die today." Alex glanced at his watch. Three more minutes. He needed three more minutes._

"_If you knew how many people said that to me you'd be surprised." He said with an eye roll. Alex was rewarded with an eye twitch._

"_Come here." Alex complied, slowly walking towards the man. Taking his time._

"_Hurry up."_

"_Jeez, you'd think you would at least let me take my time. Villains these days." Alex said sarcastically shaking his head in mock sorrow. That got him a hit on the side of his face. _

"_You think your so clever," Ugly number one sneered." We'll guess what. You're not." Alex held in a groan. Maybe he should have named him Stupid number one instead. Alex was quickly drawn from his inner musings by a gun pointed at his head. Staring down the barrel he glanced at his watch again. One minute. _

"_Well, are you going to shoot me or what?" Alex asked. Ugly one's smile grew larger. Alex grimaced, he really was very ugly. _

"_It would be my pleasure." A shot was heard and Alex looked to see one of the other men had pulled out a gun. Alex froze and felt his blood go cold. Following the gun's trajectory his eyes landed on Tom. Alex felt his eyes widen and tears begin to fill them. Watching, he saw Tom clutch his stomach, his face pale and drawn. _

"_Tom…" Alex whispered. Tom looked up and saw Alex. He shot him a small, watery smile before collapsing to the floor. Alex saw red. In a blur he was suddenly attacking the remaining men. Man after man fell as he disabled them all in a few blows. He didn't even feel the bullets whizzing by him, clipping his thigh, arm and torso. Finishing as quickly as possible, Alex ran to Tom. Tom was barely awake when he got there. _

"_Tom. Tom! You have to stay awake. You have to stay awake. Can you hear me? Tom!" Alex called frantically. He saw Tom give a weak smile._

"_Geez Al, you'd think I was dying by your reaction." His voice a hoarse whisper._

"_No, you aren't allowed to die Tom. Idiots don't die and you're the biggest one I know, so don't you even think about dying." Tom let out a breathy chuckle before groaning in pain._

"_Don't make me laugh dumbass." Alex laughed shakily and glanced at his watch. They should have been here two minutes ago._

"_Sorry, I'm just good like that." He jested, trying to keep the situation light. Tom's eyes were starting to close again. Alex shook him lightly._

"_Tom, you can't close your eyes. I know it's hard but you have to stay awake. Tom? Tom please. Please, open your eyes. TOM!" Alex shouted. Tom's eyes fluttered._

"_God Al, how am I supposed to sleep with all that ..r..acket." Tom started coughing violently. Alex saw more blood. Putting pressure on the wound he tried to support Toms head better._

"_Good, you need to stay awake. You hear me. Stay awake." It became a mantra, 'stay wake Tom, just stay awake'. Slowly Tom began closing his eyes again, Alex glanced at his watch. Four minutes past. What the hell was MI6 doing?!_

"_Al, I'm really tired. You sure I can't sleep? Sleep is supposed to be a great healer right?" Tom said drowsily. Alex chuckled breathlessly._

"_Not this time Tommy. You need to stay awake. Just a little longer, okay? Just a little longer." Tom's eyes were drooping._

"_Don't..call me..Tommy..asshole.." Alex smiled._

"_Yeah, yeah alright, sorry Tom. Just kinda slipped out."_

"_Yeah you..better be sorry..Al..your such a girl…don't cry.." Alex brought a hand to his eyes and was startled to find them wet. _

"_Can't help it. I have this stupid best friend and he got himself injured." _

"_What..an idiot." Alex nodded._

"_Yeah, a real moron." Tom smiled and his eyes slid shut._

"_Tom? Tom?! No, no Tom. Please, their close. Please Tom. Tom! TOM!" Alex shook him, begging him to open his eyes. Suddenly he felt something hit the back of his neck. He fell into darkness._

_When Alex opened his eyes he was in a white room. Glancing around he saw it was a hospital. Tom..what had happened to Tom? Alex thought frantically. He tried to move but found he couldn't. Desperately he struggled. He needed to __**move**_**. **_He needed to know Tom was alright. Suddenly he saw red. He panicked before Jack's face came into view. He tried to talk but no sound came out. Jack was crying, reaching down he felt her hug him close. Alex tried to get her attention, to ask where Tom was but she just kept sobbing. Slowly he began to hear what she was saying._

"_..sorry, I'm so sorry. Tom didn't deserve that. He didn't. I'm sorry Alex. I'm so sorry." Alex froze. Tom was gone? No, not possible. MI6 was supposed to be there. They were supposed to save him. Besides, Tom was Tom. He couldn't be gone. Alex felt something on his cheeks and realized he was crying. No, he couldn't cry. People cried when they lost something. Alex hadn't lost Tom. He couldn't have. Not Tom. Never To. But the tears kept falling. No. No no no no no.. suddenly he felt it. A fog. It called to him, beckoning him to hide in its depths. Away from all the pain and sorrow. Alex fell into it blissfully._

* * *

Alex opened his eyes. Looking around he saw three new lumps in the beds around him. Feeling something wet he reached up and wiped away a stray tear. Alex vaguely wondered what he had dreamt about before once again falling into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Should we wake him up?"

"No. He isn't our problem."

"Come on Leo, he's part of our unit now. That's about as much 'our problem' as it gets."

"Hawk has a point Leopard."

"Not you too Badger."

"See, even our voice of reason agrees with me. So, whose gonna wake 'em up?"

"Since you wanted to do it so badly, you can."

"Fine."

It was a blur. One minute, Hawk had been reaching towards the boy, the next he was pinned to the floor with said boy on top of him looking completely awake.

"Shit." Badger yelped scrambling out of bed. Glancing at Leopard he slowly began inching towards Alex.

"Hey kid, we aren't here to hurt you. We're S-Unit. I'm Badger, that's Leopard and the guy you're currently pinning down is Hawk. Just let him up, nice and easy." Alex complied. Straightening up, Alex offered a hand to a shell-shocked Hawk. Still blinking Hawk accepted it.

"Hello." Alex said in a monotone voice, as though nothing had happened. "I'm Cub." The rest just stared.

"What are you doing here?" Leopard said when it was obvious no one else was going to say anything.

Alex paused. Should he say anything? While the fog helped the pain and anything else from getting too close, it didn't hamper his thought process. Would there be consequences? _Who cares?_ A small voice whispered in the back of his mind. _Why should you care about consequences? What has MI6 ever done for you?_ Alex frowned. That was unusual. He'd have to look into it later. Coming back to reality (that was dangerous, he'd have to stop doing that.) Alex realized they were still expecting an answer. He toyed with the possibility of just staying quiet but that would be counterproductive. These men were likely to be made his permanent back-up, might as well have them know what was going on, after all, knowledge is power.

"I was assigned." The rest of the unit looked surprised, as though they hadn't expected an answer_. Then why ask at all?_ An oddly clinical side of him asked.

"By who?" This time it was Hawk, who had gotten a good five feet away before asking.

"MI6." Alex replied, still monotone. The men glanced at each other warily.

"How old are you kid?" Badger.

"16." The men were back to staring. Alex almost wanted to sigh. These men weren't very promising.

"What the hell do you have to do with _MI6_ at _sixteen_?!" Alex stared back blankly.

"They recruited me. I work for them." Alex said quietly. Leopard narrowed his eyes. Just before he said something there was a pounding on the door. Glancing at one another, Leopard, closest, opened the door. A man in a suit stood there. Alex quickly took inventory. Gun in holster on right hip, right handed then, knife up left sleeve, garret around right wrist, one or possible two knives in pants and a few shuriken seemed to be hidden in his vest if the small indents were any indication.

"I'm looking for Cub." He said in a low voice.

"Identification?" Alex asked not moving from where he was. The man reached into his vest and Alex prepared to run or fight, whichever was best at the moment, though he appeared at ease on the outside. Pulling out a small card, Alex remained suspicious. He knew Smithers and his love for gadgets. Alex still remembered the explosive bubble gum wrappers.

"_Yes yes, no worries m'boy! The gum is completely normal. It's the wrapper you should be interested in. One lick from you and KA-BOOM!"_

For a moment the fog parted and Alex felt a smile rising, then it was gone.

Having walked towards Alex while he was immersed in his thoughts, the man showed Alex the card.

**Metro Inquirer 6th**

**Joshua Brooks**

Alex nodded at that. Following the man they left the barrack. S-Unit hesitated. Were they expected to go too? Alex paused in the door way and glanced over his shoulder.

"S-Unit, are you coming?" Alex didn't really care but if he wanted back-up for later missions, it would be easier to have them use to this. Alex paused. Wanted? What did he want? Did he want back-up on missions or did he just know that he should want it? Alex's head started to hurt. _Shh, stop thinking about it. Just go back. Go back to sleep. You don't want anything._ Wait, something strange was going on. Alex did have wants. He was sure of that. He wanted to go to school. Why? Because he was supposed to? No, it was a different reason. Because he wanted to be normal? No, close but not quiet. The rumors of him being in a gang and a druggie made that impossible so what did he want to go to school for…_Tom_. Alex looked up and screamed.

"Sir! We have a problem."

"What is it?"

"It's the subject sir, he's starting to fight the treatment."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know sir, something must have triggered a highly emotional response."

"Impossible. He was in his own house with the woman he had grown up with for weeks and nothing ever happened."

"..I think..I think that's why nothing happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like you said sir, he was in the house he has always been in with the woman he grew up with. The reason the treatment worked in the first place was because he didn't want to remember painful things. That's how the treatment works. The more the subject wishes to escape pain, the easier it is to entice them into compliancy. Now that the subject is in a new environment, he probably doesn't feel as much of a need to escape."

"…"

"Sir?"

"Extract him."

"What?"

"Right now. Extract him right now."

"But sir-"

"We cannot afford to lose this project. Our employers would have our heads."

"Still this is a very delicate step in the process, too much stress and-"

"We can't think of that right now. If we lose Rider now then there will be no more chances. Bring him in."

"Yes sir."

When Alex woke up he had to stop a groan from escaping. His head was killing him. _What the hell happened?_ Alex felt like his head was full of heavy cotton. It made it hard to think. Alex felt something seem to struggle against him as he tried to think.

What was the last thing he remembered? He was at school just before the mission in Portugal and then…and then what? Alex hit a blank. He couldn't remember. Alex suppressed the panic rising in him. Now was not the time to panic. _When is it the time to panic? _He thought with a snort. Opening his eyes he took in the room. _Okay, white walls. Curtain, bed underneath me…I'm in a hospital? Why? _Irritated Alex tried to sit up and gasped in pain. His whole body felt like it had been blown up and then sown back together. _Well, that's why then. _

"Hey, hey. Shit. Doctor!" Alex heard a voice call. Still gasping Alex couldn't respond. Clenching his eyes shut he held in a scream. Alex didn't feel the hands touch him, or the needle move into his arm, in a matter of minutes he was under.

"Doc, what the hell was the?" Badger asked, shaken. The kid had looked like he was being tortured.

"I'm not sure. You said he started screaming and clutching his head before passing out?" Badger nodded in confirmation. The kid had scared the living shit out of them. _Cub, his name is Cub._ Badger remembered.

"Well, it appears as though he may have had some severe head trauma. The scan we gave him indicates a burst blood vessel near his cerebrum close to an area that controls emotional responses such as well as pain."

"So basically…"

"He'll suffer." The doctor confirmed. "If that episode was anything to tell by, and none of our pain-killers are going to help." The doctor said bluntly. Badger paled and looked at the kid. _Poor thing. This is gonna be hell for him. _He thought studying the slightly scrunched up face. Even in sleep he was affected. Badger shook his head.

"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Badger asked. The doctor sighed.

"The brain is an amazing thing, as of right now, I don't see him waking up anytime soon, but who knows? I've seen this boy's medical record. He's survived a lot, maybe he'll survive this too." Badger looked up sharply. As the team medic it was important for him to know his team mates medical history and current state. Badger almost smiled at that. Looking at Cub he remembered that, one way or another, this boy was definitely on his team now. He remembered S-Unit's talk with the MI6 head Mrs. Jones.

***Flash back***

"WHAT?!" Leopard roared, openly glaring at the woman in front of him.

"You're telling me that that…that.._kid_ is on our team permanently?!" Even Hawk looked slightly uncomfortable at this revelation. Mrs. Jones looked coolly back.

"I don't think you fully understand your position. 'Cub', as you call him, is one of our top ranked operatives with a 100% success rate on all his missions. In every aspect, except age, _you_ are the children. He has been on more missions, saved more people, _lost_ more people than you ever have and most likely ever will. That _kid_ is your superior in every way." Mrs. Jones stood and walked to the door.

"You are to be his permanent back up as of now." She seemed to hesitate. "He really has been through a lot, to the point that, at sixteen, he is no longer a child. MI6 destroyed that. Take care of him." She said softly. As though she had said nothing she continued walking out. Badger looked back at Sergeant to see him sigh and gesture to the folders each unit member held.

"As she said, you are to be Cub's new back-up. You have all been given higher clearance to see some of his files. Not all mind you, he's still extremely classified and chances are these folders will only give you more questions than answers. Good luck." S-Unit saluted and left. They knew a dismissal when they heard one.

Badger shook his head. Serge had been right, those files only added to all the questions. He knew that Cub or _Alex _as he now knew him, had been on eighteen (_eighteen_ and in _two years_. Badger wanted to hit someone) missions with 100% success rate, had no family except for a woman named Jack who had apparently abandoned him to go to America but was killed on a plane bombing on the way (the file said the kid still hadn't been informed. Badger couldn't help a twinge of pity for the kid), and was suffering something similar to PSTD according to the doctors. Badger frowned. He almost forgot to ask the doctor for his medical records. Standing up he took one last look at Cub. How the government could do what they had done to him chilled Badger to the core. He may not have seen Cub's medical record yet but, he had seen all the scares. If Badger was completely honest with himself, he was scared. Cub scared him. Badger didn't think he could still be sane after everything that happened and someone as dangerous as him…Badger shuddered. Walking quickly he went to find the doctor.

_*In Alex's Dream*_

"_Alex. Alex!" Tom screamed. "Why didn't you save me?! I thought we were friends. I thought we were mates!" Alex covered his ears. No no no no no, that wasn't Tom. Tom would never say something like that. The real Tom knew how much Alex cared, even after everything. He knew Alex would always save him…so why hadn't he? Alex shook his head. He couldn't think like that, he couldn't give in. _

_Slowly Tom's face morphed. It was a horrifying sight. The skin bubbled and stretched, he could see the bone underneath in glimpses of white. The eyes rolled back and seemed to melt into his head. Alex stared transfixed, his hands falling to his sides. Finally the face stopped and Alex saw Jack. A rush of hope welled through him. _

"_Jack! Jackie!" He called, he didn't care that he hadn't called her Jackie since he was seven. He was just happy to see her. He knew she would never abandon him. Forcing himself to stand he started running towards her. Turning, she smiled at him and waved. Alex almost laughed in relief and started running faster. Alex noticed a figure come up behind her. Horror closed in on him._

"_Jack, run! There's someone behind you!" This time he couldn't make a sound. Suddenly he wasn't moving either. The ground beneath him had become like quick sand. Panicked, Alex couldn't remember anything Ian had taught him about quicksand. Struggling he fought to get out as the figure approached an unknowing Jack. _

"_Jack! Jack, run!" He tried to scream again. By now he was up to his mid-thigh. Soon the figure showed his self. Alex froze, no longer struggling. _

"_Ian?" Alex asked weakly, his voice returning. Ian looked at him and smiled standing next to Jack. Jack smiled at Ian before turning back to Alex and waving him over again. Alex resumed his struggle. He wanted to be with them, he wanted his family back. Watching, he saw others join them. A man in military dress with the same sandy blonde hair and deep-brown eyes, had his arm wrapped around a beautiful blonde woman. They both had tears in their eyes and, despite the sad looks, seemed proud of him. _

"_Dad? Mom?" His lips asked._

_Alex saw another person approach behind his father._

"_Yassen?" He saw Ian give Yassen a mock glare before laughing. Soon they were all laughing, even Yassen. The assassin looked more at ease than he had ever seen him. Years seemed to drop from his face and Alex could see the teen his father had come to care for as a son. Alex smiled at them, tears in his eyes. His family, they were all there. Suddenly he was sinking faster. Alex, startled, looked back at his family._

"_Help! Help me! Take me with you. Please!" He called. He saw them smile sadly and shake their heads. Looking down he didn't see a floor anymore. The ground had become transparent. Now he was seeing other things. Below him were people. People pulling him down. Some he knew, others he didn't. He recognized Mrs. Jones, Ben, Sabina, Wolf, Eagle, Snake, Tamara Knight, Joe Bryne, a few kids from school, even his friend James Sprintz from Point Blank. He could feel an invisible force now up to his neck. Looking up quickly he saw only one person standing where all the others had been. _

_Tom. The real Tom. _

_Tom looked at Alex and smiled. Alex stared as Tom looked pointedly down at Alex's feet and mouthed something to him. For a second Alex panicked. He couldn't hear anything. But then he realized he didn't have to. What Tom was saying was painfully obvious. Giving one last smile, Tom turned and started walking away. Alex saw a flash of light and could make out five figures before it was gone and Alex was falling into darkness._

Gasping Alex sat up in his gurney much to the terror of a particular SAS unit who proceeded to scream.


End file.
